Thorns
by ThisAccountIsNowInactive354085
Summary: An AU but NOT OOC- a loose retelling of Beauty and the Beast from the SP angle. Main pairing is ChikaruXShion along with prominent YayaXTsubomi and other minor pairings.
1. Prologue: This Curse

**Okay- this is my first seriously AU story like…EVER. If you don't count the impossible pairings…I was just reading these stories that are written after fairy tales, and I found this prologue to one of my old stories on an old jump drive, and I thought it'd make a great prologue. Basically this is a loose retelling of beauty and the beast…SP style! xD It's kind of a pipe dream, but hey, if you like it, review, and since the couple isn't named yet, tell me which you think it should be- I only have a few rules. First off, the couple has to SOMEHOW fit into the fairytale personality-wise. The beast doesn't have to be disfigured (there's plenty of room for imagination to think of something else), and her curse doesn't have to be for being vain, but she has to have some character flaw. Beauty doesn't have to be some booksmart Mary-Sue, but she does have to have qualities of someone who could break the temperamental beast from her spell. So not every couple will work, and I apologize but I CANNOT write Shizuma/Nagisa, simply because I'm tired of it, and no Amane/Hikari. Period. Other than that, all pairings are free to be suggested or recommended- I've actually thought of one that would work VERY well, but I'm not sure I want to use it yet.**

**The plot will loosely revolve around Beauty and the Beast, and will definitely hold all key points to a certain extent. A major difference is that I want the witch to play a key part, since she's a major character just in the prologue. I suppose it depends on the pairing, since it would have to be different for each one. That's why I'm asking for advice- I like my pairing, but I can't think of a good witch for it. So please review and leave your suggestions!**

**Also: This does NOT mean I'm abandoning How Can You See With Your Eyes Closed. This is just something I wanted to try.**

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**Thorns**

**Prologue: This Curse**

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"_You're not to fall for her."_

_A demand._

_"I won't."_

_A smirk._

_"She'll break your heart."_

_A contradiction._

_"How, if I don't fall for her?"_

_A kiss._

_"Because you will, my darling."_

_A flash of light, and nothing._

It was an accident- it was never supposed to happen and more often than not she caught herself wishing it hadn't. She couldn't bear to watch and she couldn't look away and it drove her mad to know that she could never- _would _never do a thing about it. But it wasn't a mistake.

_Never _a mistake.

But it hurt like hell if it hurt at all.

Watching him hold her, his head held high like he had the right that _no one _did- as if he owned her. Stepping back submissively when he entered the room and gazing in faux adoration as he courted her, all the while keeping her gaze from misting over because then she would have to pretend to be infatuated with him like all the othersand she didn't trust herself not to _vomit _at the mere notion.

Watching _her_, her mask so flawless that no one would guess she was breaking inside- that _she_, the monster…she had been the one to break her. She was the reason for the smile that they'd never see. Pretending not to notice, all the while knowing that she could never look away.

And she couldn't believe they'd come so far only to let this go.

But what hurt most of all were the glances- the small glances that were sent her way when the world turned its head for just a moment. _Her_ eyes weren't sympathetic or sorrowful or lonely at all- no, they were cruel and as cold as she ever was. It was never 'I'm sorry'- never 'I understand'. It was always (_always_) 'I knew it', because she _had_, hadn't she, since the very day it had begun.

Four words, four syllables, and the four letters that she had made her _swear _would never cross her lips. Those were the only rules, and she had broken every single one of them and now the game was won and she was paying the price.

But there is something- something past all the cruel gazes and icy niceties of _her- _the one who had warned her to stay away. There is something in the eyes that used to sparkle whenever _she_ (her love, her only) was truly excited- something when they focused in on her prince and narrowed ever so slightly. Something that made her feel like the monster she was- something so broken that it led her to wonder who had really lost, in the end.

It won't be long now- not long until her strength faded entirely, and the very life was sapped from her body like a leech on a wound. It wouldn't be long until the last petal would fall, and it would all be over.

Such thoughts were but a little comfort, and somewhere in her mind she thinks that maybe something's wrong; that maybe she should be fighting for this. Maybe she shouldn't have let her go. But to live with the knowledge that she had been the one to take that smile away, and to see the evidence day after day after day…

It was supposed to be a fairytale- there would be tears and a wicked witch and the one who could save her would save the day in the end, and there would be hurt but at least there would be a happily ever after. But the witch wasn't wicked- the witch wasn't the villain in this fairytale, and maybe there is a happily ever after- maybe it's just not meant to be hers.

Of course it isn't.

It's funny now, she thinks, but it all started with a rose.


	2. One: Deals With Devils

**Obsidian and Cobalt: Thanks for your review! I was actually thinking of them as one of two major possibilities, but in the end decided that Yaya was just a bit too flirtatious as the Beast…however that pairing will exist in the story! I even found the perfect roles… See if you can guess who they'll be filling the roles of ;)**

**TheNomade5: I like Tamao too =) And she'll be in the story with a pairing of some sort…I just have to decide with who and what she'll play =P**

**Tmj1395: Yay! That was my number one pairing =3 I've decided that Shion is the character (other than Shizuma) who best fits into the Beast's category, and obviously Chikaru is the perfect Beauty!**

**Thanks for your suggestions! I've decided upon a pairing, but I do want to mention something I forgot to mention in the last chapter. You know in the Disney version (hasn't seen a different version xD) where all his objects come to life as his staff and attendants and stuff? Well obviously I can't leave that part out, so I was going to make minor pairings out of the rest of the cast and have them play the parts of the objects, since I don't want to bring in a shit load of OCs. What do you think?**

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**Thorns**

**One: Deals With Devils**

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Downtown Tokyo was thriving- a literary metropolis, even in the icy grip of one of the coldest, snowiest winters the city had ever seen.

Breath escaped Akio's chapped lips in smoky puffs despite the sweltering heat he felt between his many layers of clothing and the stuffy inside of his small car. The air conditioning was busted, and damn it, he knew he looked like a freak with the window of his car down in the middle of winter, but was it really necessary to make a scene out of every single out-of-the-ordinary event? But a little staring was nothing compared to miles of traffic backed up only because these stuffy, lifeless drones (office workers, but it's all the same) couldn't ogle the scene enough at a regular speed. Not like they ever stopped to help- only had to get their entertainment for the day, and that's all it was until it was someone they knew being ogled- someone they knew being lifted onto the stretcher.

He sighed, lifting the coffee mug to his lips and briefly wondering if he'd made a mistake investing in a car in Tokyo. Traffic was backed up as far as he could see, and he was fifteen minutes away from being late to work. As the cars in front of his inched forward, something caught his eye, and he felt a huge weight being lifted from his chest. Off to the right of the road was a narrow, iced over alleyway- if he could drive through there, he could take a left and get to work well within the time limit. Akio jerked the wheel to the right and pumped the gas to squeeze past the car in front of him and into the narrow alleyway, but his tires fumbled on the ice, and he heard a sickening scraping sound. "Shit," he muttered, tempted to check out the damage, but he didn't have the time to get out and check it now. He jerked the wheels straight and sped through the alleyway, spinning out onto the street on the other side, this time avoiding any unfortunate collisions.

In fact, the road was absolutely bare. No cars, no subways, no shops of any kind- Akio frowned, but he was in no state to be questioning the area. He shrugged and pressed on, not registering as the road gradually curbed off to the right, away from the commotion of downtown Tokyo.

Ordinarily he would have stayed on the main road- it was always best to stick to what you know, after all, and screw the consequences of being a few minutes late. But his daughter's birthday was coming up, and it was hard enough to continue to pay for her schooling up at Astraea Hill, home to the most prestigious Academies in all of Japan without having to go hungry for months on end for the sake of her present. And she knew that her single father couldn't afford extravagance, and understood it- was happy with even the smallest of gifts if it meant he had thought of her. It wasn't as if they were even middle-class, but with the tuition on his daughter's dream school, he felt like a pauper in a world full of entrepreneurs and business tycoons. But that was exactly why Akio was putting in so many extra hours- she never complained about anything, his daughter, even surrounded by the upper crust of today's youth. She was such a kind, generous girl, and had risen to the top of her school with her bright smile and good attitude despite their financial situation. And that little girl deserved the best.

A loud crunching sound jerked him from his thoughts, and suddenly he became conscious of his surroundings, and, at the same time, realized that he was most definitely not in downtown Tokyo anymore, and that there wasn't a turn off in sight. "_Shit_," Akio spat, and jerked the wheel to the left, attempting a U-turn without bothering to slow down. But his tires had no traction on the icy road, and the single jerk caused the little Volvo to spiral weakly before slipping into a bank of thick snow.

Cursing under his breath, he shoved the door open and stumbled in the knee-deep snow before finding his footing. First the scratch, and now this…he looked around him for something- anything reminiscent of society, but he'd traveled far and away from civilization. Just as he was preparing to walk back down the long, winding path, he caught a glimpse of _something _further up the hill.

After several minutes of squinting, he was fairly certain it was a house of some kind, and started towards it without a second thought- what other choice did he have in the middle of winter? The trees were thick and evergreen on either side of the road, tall and foreboding, almost as if they were warning visitors of an invisible threat. Akio swallowed back his fear and continued until the road became smoother, forming a long driveway. He raised his head and came face to face with an immense fence, a calligraphic, wrought iron letter T in the dead center.

Looking around him and finding no one, Akio pushed hesitantly at the gates, surprised and glad that they had opened at his touch. Before him was an enormous, Victorian-style manor, the lawn decorated with what looked to be a giant, grass chessboard with knights, pawns and rooks carved from evergreen bushes. The manor itself was larger than any house he had ever seen, and seemed well-kept despite its obvious age.

Taking a deep breath, Akio crossed the lawn and walked up the rows of marble steps to the front door, grabbing the knocker and knocking loudly once, twice, three times…

Nothing.

He knocked again and again, with the same results. Akio stood out in the frigid weather for several more minutes before trying the door for a lock- his throat was already starting to feel dry, and his nose was running fiercely. To his surprise, the heavy door creaked open easily, and he slipped inside of the manor, stumbling into a vast entryway.

"Hello? Is anybody there?"

A scuffle came from several feet away, and Akio frowned in confusion as two hushed voices carried on an argument from the corner of the room.

"Shut up, baka, we can't let him see us!"

"But the master is going to find out anyway- there's no way she'll let him escape after this! It's called hospitality, Tsu-bo-mi-chan."

Akio's blood ran cold- who was this master they were referring to?

"In your case it's just called stupidity," the higher-pitched voice replied with a sigh. Within seconds, a metallic sound reached Akio's ears and he turned only to find what looked to be a candelabra…_walking towards him_.

"'Sup?" the candle asked with a smug grin, and Akio felt all the blood in his body rush to his head. He was about to faint, but he held himself strong- he had to find a way to work, or at least out of _here_.

"Um…I…umm…this master you were talking about…"

Three things happened at once- the smirk disappeared from the candle's face and she (or at least, it sounded like a female voice) hopped back into the shadows, where what appeared to be a miniature grandfather clock was waiting. The clock let out a shrill shriek and sunk further into the shadows, the candle staying just a few inches in front of it, almost protectively. And _something_ slid down the banister of the immense staircase and landed inches from his face on all fours.

Akio's eyes widened and he stumbled backwards, only to be followed by the creature, who was actually quite small, and distinctly feminine in figure. But instead of delicate feet, the figure's legs flared out into enormous paws, reminiscent of a lion's, and its fingers curved into long, talon-like nails. Its entire body was covered in what appeared to be a soft, downy, white-blonde fur besides its noticeably darker blonde hair, which was long enough to function as a mane of some sort.

The creature snarled, her lips curling into a sneer. "You aren't welcome here," she stated in a low growl, despite her voice being noticeably higher than the smirking candle's.

"Then I can just go," Akio said in a rush, turning back to make a run for the door, but the creature was one step ahead of him, jumping around him and skidding to a halt, blocking his path.

"You think I'm just going to let you walk away?" the Beast asked in an almost amused tone. "With what you've seen?" The creature bent down so that her face was only inches from that of the cowering Akio. "Do you think your life matters to me? To the rest of the world?"

"My daughter…"

Something changed in the Beast's demeanor- it was as if someone had struck her over the head with a mallet, and she blinked several times before she snapped out of it, growling and taking a step closer to Akio. "You think your daughter can't live without you?" she hissed. "What is it with men and their pride?" The Beast scoffed. "She's better off without you."

A flash of pain blurred his vision when a hand connected with his cheek, leaving three long, deep scars marring his features. Akio cried out in pain, falling to his knees before the creature. "Please let me go…I'll do anything," he whimpered, cowering beneath the small shadow cast by the Beast. "I'll do anything…"

A pause, a heartbeat.

"You have a daughter?"

It was spoken like a statement, but there was an underlying trace of hope beneath the soft-spoken words…a trace of fear, as if the creature wasn't sure whether to ask the question or not.

The thing was, despite being an upstanding citizen and overall a very kind and likeable man, Akio was a coward. And such a flaw is as fatal as it is impossible to spot until it is too late.

So Akio struck a deal with the Beast.

**PGBR**

She watched him go, watched him run to the sleek, black Porsche that was meant to be her sixteenth birthday present, keys dangling from his trembling hands. It wasn't as though she'd ever have a use for it.

Unless…

She turned abruptly, stalking back up the stairway and towards the West Wing of the large manor and passing the ever-bickering clock and lamp- half the time she wanted to strangle the both of them, but they had stuck by her ever since… And it was her fault they were like this, anyway.

Her fault, all her fault…

"Do you have the time?"

"Um…it's seven-forty-"

"Because I've got the place," the husky-voiced candle cut the pink clock off with a smirk and a wiggle of her eyebrows.

"Baka! I can't believe I'm stuck here with _you_!" the clock shrieked in a strangely high-pitched voice. "You just never _leave_!"

"I can't believe you don't _want _to be stuck here with me!" the candle stated in the same suave tone, flexing the two smaller candleholders that functioned as her arms. "I mean, look at these guns!"

There was shriek, a dull thud, and the unmistakable sound of metal hitting the floor, and the Beast sighed as she made her way up the steps.

_Then again…_

All too soon, her blood ran cold, and she knew she was standing before a pair of heavy oak doors. With a deep breath, she shoved the doors open and started towards her goal with a purposeful stride- by the time she reached it, her steps were slow and faltering, as if it could be disturbed merely by the weight of her stride.

But no- it was still the same- still floating there, suspended inches in the air, the ground around it littered with black petals.

_"Lovely like your face, but black like your heart. I wonder what would happen if they all knew the kind of person you were behind all your prettiness."_

"Black like my heart," she murmured, unaware that she had spoken the words out loud as she carefully lifted the lid from the rose and set it aside. Fingers trembling, she reached out to touch the rose, only to gasp and leap back, her right hand clutched in her left as yet another petal fell beneath her hesitant touch. A stab of pain- she'd gone and cut her finger on one of the thorns. Cursing under her breath, she replaced the lid and sank into the oversized armchair beside the rose, staring down at her fingertip.

_"Cheating may work in school and in love, but you can never cheat yourself. There would be…consequences…"_

Love- the witch had smirked then, told her to be wary to fall in love, to let the girl fall for her, but never to fall herself. Falling in love caused unnecessary pain, she'd said with what could have been mistaken for a hint of regret.

But if she could somehow make a girl fall in love with her for the monster she was, she would be free. Putting all her trust in the daughter of a mediocre businessman was hardly the best idea, but it wasn't as if she had anything to lose, and time was running thin.

**PGBR**

The drive up to Astraea Hill took less time than Akio had accounted for, and before he knew it, he was standing in the Head Sister's office, preparing to seal his daughter's fate.

_You're a coward, a pathetic excuse for a man. _Those had been the Beast's words when he'd agreed to her terms. She'd come up with them herself, but disgust had flashed in those violet eyes in his easy acceptance. _What kind of man would give his own daughter to me? To a monster?_

"Otou-san!"

Akio turned to face his daughter with grim determination, only to catch a light, raven-haired bundle in his arms. "Chikaru-chan," he said fondly, running his fingers through her dark hair. The Head Sister excused herself to give them a moment. Akio's face turned bitter, and he fought back tears as he set his beloved daughter on the ground. "Chikaru-chan…I'm sorry…"

The girl in the pink and yellow uniform frowned slightly, cocking her head. She raised her hand to Akio's cheek and brushed away the tears that had fallen without his notice. "Otou-san…what's wrong?" She looked as if she might cry herself, and Akio felt another pang for this wonderful girl, who'd never done anything wrong, not even for a second, and yet, thanks to his cowardliness…

"I was late to work and took a shortcut…," he began quietly, "and there was…a monster…"

**Here's chapter one guys! I picked Chikaru and Shion, who had been my first choice because of their respective personalities. Please review if you liked it and want me to continue- it really is what keeps writers going! The rest of the cast will start to show up as the story moves along.**


	3. Two: Fear

**Tmj1395: Thanks! I'm glad you're liking the story so much! And I'm glad you saw the connection too- it was actually a spur of the moment thing. YayaXTsubomi is an OTP of mine, and I couldn't just NOT put them and everyone else in. Then when I thought about it, I thought of their dynamic, and I was like, OMG, Cogsworth and Lumiere. Like down to a tee. xD**

**Obsidian and Cobalt: Thanks, I'm glad you think so! =) I really love the Yaya and Tsubomi part too- I'm kind of proud of that idea, it just came to me xD**

**MalokaiKuhlua: Thanks! I'll keep working on both fics =)**

**Cast listing so far:**

**Beauty: Chikaru**

**Beast: Shion**

**Cogsworth: Tsubomi**

**Lumiere: Yaya**

**Fifi/Babette the Feather Duster: Hikari**

**Chip: Tamao**

**Witch/Enchantress: Shizuma**

**Shion's Advisors (I made up their part because it helped the storyline) Turned Wolves: Kaname & Momomi**

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**Thorns**

**Two: Unafraid**

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Her father didn't stay to make sure she got into the manor safely- only parked the car and ran for it, as if his very life depended on it.

Chikaru swallowed back the small part of her that wanted to scream at him- make him come back and fix his own mistake- make him act like her father. But that wasn't her- Chikaru was always calm and collected, even in the worst case scenarios. Though this situation did fit quite well into that particular category…

She walked slowly down a stone pathway that led up to the immense doorway, her eyes resting on the beautiful scenery as she did so. How could this possibly be the home of the monster her father had described?

It took her several minutes to actually reach the heavy wooden doors, and she pushed them open without bothering to knock first. Her father had told her that she was expected. "Hello?" she asked as she took a few steps into the immense entryway. When no answer came, she followed the faint light coming from a room off to the left to find an elegant parlor room with several white, overstuffed couches and a large armchair with its back to her. A fireplace was the source of the dim light.

Immediately, Chikaru's perceptive senses picked up another presence in the room, but instead of making herself known, she plopped herself onto one of the couches and took joy in the reaction of the figure in the large armchair. The figure jumped, surprised, and turned to glare at her, and Chikaru's breath caught in her throat. This was the monster her father had talked about- there was no question of that. But there was something behind those angry violet eyes that kept Chikaru from being frightened of this beast who had scarred her father's face. "My name is Chikaru Minamoto- you sent my father to retrieve me," Chikaru said, her voice lilting in an unspoken question, and the figure nodded slowly. "Well, here I am- what do you want with me?"

There was a moment of silence as Chikaru gazed at the tense figure in the chair, and then a sudden scuffling as the figure stood, revealing her form for what it was. Her physical features were just as her father had described them- massive paws instead of feet, with hooked talons for fingernails and pale white fur covering her body. A tail much like a lion's swept the floor before hooking around the Beast's leg in a tell-tale sign of nervousness- not a trait Chikaru would have suspected of a monster.

But her father had neglected to describe those sad, violet eyes, or the way the creature's body had automatically tensed, almost like a child expecting a blow.

"Don't I repulse you?" the Beast asked in a surprisingly high voice, scampering forward with lightning fast agility, and stopping centimeters from the girl's face, sitting herself down before her like a puppy might. She stared into the girl's amber eyes, her own violet eyes flashing with anger and…something else that Chikaru wouldn't be so presumptuous as to name just yet. "Don't I terrify you?" The Beast was obviously perplexed and also quite annoyed by Chikaru's less than remarkable reaction.

"Should I be afraid?" Chikaru asked simply with a tilt of her head. "I certainly don't _like _you- what you did was wrong, even if my father did enter your home without your permission. But I'm not afraid of you. Should I be?"

Silence, a heartbeat.

The Beast stood abruptly, her head turned to the right, away from the imploring eyes of this girl who seemed to be able to see right through her. "Yes," she growled, "you should be. You have no idea what I'm capable of- I could _crush _you right now without a hint of regret."

"I don't think you could."

The Beast growled, her head whipping around to face the entirely unfazed girl before her, who was looking at her with such brutal honesty that she almost had to look away. "How dare you?" she hissed, suddenly lunging so that her arms were braced on either side of the dark-haired girl, her hands clasped tightly around the thin wrists. Chikaru looked up at her, unimpressed. "What makes you think I couldn't?"

"Because you would have done it already," Chikaru said with a shrug and a small smile, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "If you would have no regrets." She slid out from under the Beast and stood, tucking a hair behind her ear and offering a gentle smile that set every one of the creature's nerves on edge. "Now, I've introduced myself- don't you think it's terribly rude not to return the favor?"

The Beast scoffed. "I stopped caring about manners quite a long time ago," she stated petulantly. A sudden flash in those amber eyes made her swallow her pride and backtrack almost immediately with her tail between her legs. "But my name is- was Shion."

Chikaru frowned slightly. "Was?" she asked quietly.

Shion nodded gruffly. "Was," she muttered. "Before…" She trailed off, extending her fingers- or rather, her fingernails which had so long ago extended into long, deadly talons. Abruptly she stiffened and brushed her hair away from her face, fixing Chikaru with a glare. "My servants will show you to your quarters," she said stiffly, brushing past the black-haired girl, who marveled in the softness of her fur for a moment.

So this girl hadn't always been a monster- it was the only explanation for her words. Something must have happened to make her into what she was, but what…? Her train of thought was interrupted by a voice near her feet.

"Hey- how _YOU _doiiiin'?"

Chikaru jumped slightly and looked down at her feet to find a two-armed candle smirking up at her. Seconds later, the sound of wood on stone hit her ears as a small clock hobbled over to stand beside the candle.

"Shut up, baka!" the clock growled, and Chikaru noticed a faint tinge of pink on its generally white face. "She didn't come here to be hit on by a hentai!"

"Aww, Tsubomi-chaaan's jealous!" the candle wailed with faux emotion, practically throwing herself at the clock, who quickly hobbled out of the way.

"Baka! I'm made of wood!" it (she?) shrieked, kicking at the candle's base with one stubby leg. "Those things in your hands? Yeah, they're on _fire_. And what does fire do to wood?"

Chikaru couldn't help but giggle at the spectacle, making the candle look up at her again with that same lion's smirk while the clock folded her wooden arms over the glass container that was her chest, dare she say…pouting? "Ara," Chikaru said with a bright smile as she reached down and picked up the squirming clock. "How cute!" The clock blushed an even deeper red, matching its polished pink finish.

"Oi!"

She felt a weight on her foot and found the candle apparently attempting to jump on her foot, glaring slightly as she stared pointedly at the clock in Chikaru's hand. Chikaru frowned slightly, confused for a moment before she broke into an enigmatic smile. "Oh, I see," she said knowingly, setting the clock back down beside the candle, who was now pouting slightly at the sly smile Chikaru was wearing. "I'm Chikaru," she said with a smile, "and who might you ladies be?"

"I'm Tsubomi Okuwaka," the blushing clock stated, before adding with a glare, "and this baka-hentai is Yaya."

"Yaya? Just Yaya? That's all I get?"

"That's all you deserve!"

"Ara," Chikaru said with a giggle. "Well, Tsubomi-chan and Yaya-chan, do you know where my 'quarters' are?" she asked with a slight inflection on Shion's stiff way of speaking.

"Oh, yeah!" Yaya said with a grin, bouncing off excitedly towards the stairway. "Follow me!"

"Don't follow her, she'll just get lost," Tsubomi muttered, despite the fact that she was following after the exuberant candle.

Chikaru climbed the stairway slowly, observing the décor of the manor as she went. It was obviously as old as it looked, with old, Victorian paintings and dull candles burning instead of the fluorescent lights that she had become accustomed to back at Astraea Hill. Without quite knowing what she was doing, Chikaru turned left instead of right, where Yaya had been leading her. Even as she climbed the staircase, the pictures seemed darker, more foreboding, and a marble structure at the top of the staircase was in the shape of what appeared to be a beautiful woman with long hair and what looked to be a wand in her right hand. Frowning, Chikaru quickened her pace to inspect the sculpture more closely. She was almost there, when…

"Stop!"

She jumped as the little clock stumbled in front of her, huffing and puffing, arms stretched out as if desperately trying to keep her from walking up the stairs. "Tsubomi-chan?"

"Only Master…is allowed up there," the clock panted as Yaya bounced up to stand beside her, nodding in agreement. "If you go…she won't be pleased."

Chikaru frowned. "I don't think she was very pleased that I was here at all," she stated, her tone colored slightly with indignation.

"Yes, but…that's different," Yaya jumped in for her winded friend as she led Chikaru back down the steps. "Shion isn't good at expressing her feelings."

A loud, dramatic gasp sounded from behind Chikaru and Yaya as Tsubomi struggled to keep up with them. Now she looked as if someone had told her that it wasn't actually reasonable for a clock to be pink. "Yaya-_sempai_!" she snapped. "Address Master properly!"

The candle scoffed and rolled her eyes as they finally reached the East Wing of the manor. "She doesn't care either way," Yaya stated bluntly. "Anyway, here's your room," she said, gesturing to a large oak door. "I think Shion wants you down for dinner tonight."

"Well then, she can come ask me herself," Chikaru stated, pushing the door open to reveal a huge room. She swallowed back a wave of vertigo as she entered, not noticing the nervous glances exchanged by the candle and the clock. After giving the room a quick once-over, she fell back on the large bed, closing her eyes to make her headache disappear. This was certainly not what she'd expected from her last year in high school.

Yaya closed the door quietly behind her before wiping an imaginary bead of sweat from her brow. "Well, that was close," she said with a grin. "I'm going to go see Hi-ka-ri!" she sang, bouncing down the hallway towards Shion's quarters, knowing that was where the girl-turned-feather-duster spent most of her time.

Tsubomi huffed and waited until she was out of sight before allowing her wooden arms to fall to her sides. _Baka Yaya-sempai_, she thought, sniffing.

Shion was hunched over on her bed, her legs crossed Indian-style, her tail whipping around her in confusion and disorientation. Her hands clutched at her ankles anxiously; though she'd never admit it, she was extremely nervous to be in the presence of another human once more, especially a beautiful girl like Chikaru.

"She attended Astraea Hill, year seven, Le Rim," a suspiciously blue teacup piped up from beside the bed, having returned from the short mission the beast had sent her on. "School president and everything."

"Thank you, Suzumi-san," Shion murmured, the new information sinking into her head as she thought back to her first (and only) year at Spica. "Minamoto-san…" She remembered her- barely, but she did. A plucky Le Rim student in the same year as herself, she had worn a constant smile, which didn't seem to have left her. Kind to all, and generous to a fault…she remembered scoffing at the girl back in her first year. Now she scoffed at herself. "She was stupid and naïve," Shion mumbled, "but who's the monster, Shion?"

"You are."

Shion jumped into a standing position on top of her bed, instantly in the defensive. There, sitting on the railing of the balcony, her legs dangling haphazardly over the edges, sat a girl with startlingly silver hair and sharp eyes, a wand dangling limply from her slender fingertips. "Get out," Shion growled, leaping from the bed and crossing out onto the balcony in three long strides. "You've got no business here- not yet."

"Not yet," the witch replied lightly, her eyes sparkling with unspoken mischief. "You do remember what I told you all those years ago, Shion?" The beast nodded briefly, her brows furrowed and her eyes flashing behind the downy soft fur that was ruffled by the icy wind. "I think you're dangerous close to falling, Shion," the witch cooed, leaning forward and tilting Shion's chin up with her pointer finger. Shion growled and ripped her head away, tilting her chin down at the floor and glaring up at the witch, her eyes flashing with distrust and sloppily hidden fear. "My my, you really are an animal, aren't you?" the witch chuckled.

The words struck Shion like a blow to the chest, and she physically recoiled- she'd never been any good at hiding her emotions. "What are you doing here, Shizuma?" she asked lowly. "And I can't be falling for her- I hardly know her."

Shizuma shrugged carelessly. "Checking up on my protégée," she said with a wink, but Shion's eyes remained cold. "Careful you don't, Shion. You've always trusted people far too easily. Just look at how easy it was for me to worm my way into your heart, and look at us now- you jerk away from my touch as if I've burned you. Really, you are careless with your emotions." Shizuma smirked at the pained expression on Shion's face. "Although…I did catch a glimpse of the girl on my way to see you. If she is not yours, then I wouldn't mind…checking her out for you. Making sure she's…clean…"

"Keep your hands off her!" Shion suddenly roared, lunging at the girl on the railing only feel her claws scrape cold, hard marble. Shizuma watched amused from off to the left as the beast remained where she was, knuckles turning white from her intense hold on the icy stone. "Don't touch her, Shizuma."

"Somebody's possessive," Shizuma stated casually. "You did say you hardly knew her."

"As long as she lives here, she is under my protection," Shion muttered, not looking up from the cold marble, her eyes flashing with hatred and fear. "You _will _stay away from her, or I _will _rip you to shreds and give your remains to Kaname and Momomi."

Shizuma laughed- a tinkling, girlish laugh that didn't suit her at all, and still sent shivers down the beast's spine. "Your pets?" she asked, referring to the devious wolf and her mate, Momomi. "I made them who they are today, Shion, never forget that. Even if they did get close enough to harm me, I could kill them with my little finger." Shizuma waved said finger as if to make her point. "But don't worry, I won't go after your precious Chikaru." Shion growled.

"I don't love her, Shizuma," she spat. "I just know what you do to people who put their trust in you, and I'm not going to bring her here and allow her to be put in danger. She's _mine_, so you'd better stay away."

"Yours, even though you don't love her?" Shizuma asked quizzically before she grinned. "Just as I taught you- I'm proud of you, Shion," she said, hopping down from the balcony and running her fingers through Shion's blonde hair. The beast tensed beneath her touch, almost as if she was fighting not to jerk away. Shizuma smirked and with that, leapt from the railing and was gone.

Shion let out a shuddering breath, allowing her body to relax. She was breathing heavily, her eyes still flashing with conflicting emotions as she fought the tears that always threatened to come when Shizuma appeared. "Come on," she muttered, rubbing her eyes furiously. _You never cried before you were a monster- what gives you the right to cry now?_

Every time Shizuma appeared, memories rushed unbidden to the surface of her mind- tears, begging, and _pain_. She'd be damned if she let this girl who was in her care- the one who could save her- suffer the same fate. And maybe, something in the back of her mind thought, maybe this protectiveness she was feeling was something more. But she shook the thought from her mind and stalked back into her room. She'd been informed by that flirtatious candelabra that she would be having dinner with Chikaru tonight, and knowing Yaya, she'd do everything in her power to set the mood.

Sighing, she opened her wardrobe and was greeted by racks of frilly, expensive dresses and evening gowns. This surely wasn't the way to woo a woman. _And you think your personality is any better? _Ignoring the painfully loud voice in her head, Shion began to root through the wooden bureau for some slightly more masculine attire.

**Please continue to review and tell me if I'm staying in character! I'm trying to use mainly Shion's stubbornness and willingness to fight and be hardheaded and Chikaru's kindness, obviously =P And Yaya and Tsubomi's…Yaya and Tsubomi…ness…**


	4. Three: Meant for Saving

**First off, sorry for the ENORMOUS delay, in both this AND How Can You See With Your Eyes Closed (I'm working on the next chapter now!). I hope you guys can understand- I've been busy moving into my dorm, and now that I'm moved in I'm trying to make new friends, which isn't easy for me, being a shy person and all, though having an outgoing roommate helps with that. It also kind of sucks, though, because I'm afraid I'm gonna get left behind again. I just don't want college to turn out like high school. I mean, my roommate's awesome, but it just feels like she's the kind of person who's really hard to keep as a friend for someone like me. Any advice from people who've been there? Should I take it at my own pace or run to keep up?**

**One good thing about college so far? Two words- Liquid Diet. So far today I've drunk a 130 calorie hunger reduction shake (gross) and some powder lemonade. It saps my energy like crazy, but hopefully I'll lose weight quickly =) I've only got thirty pounds before I'm at the right weight, and everything after that is bonus =P**

**Stavri: Thanks =)**

**Tmj1395: Thanks =) And if I'm honest, I just don't like Nagisa, so I tend to forget her sometimes, so even though that idea is way better than mine, I don't wanna retconn and turn it around =( I'll find something suitable for Nagisa though =) Plus I wanna keep the romantic triangles intact, so I might find a way for her to be associated with Shizuma.**

**Obsidian and Cobalt: Thanks =) I'm just trying to keep everything in character =)**

**x-Rem-x: Thanks! I felt kinda bad about KanaMomo being wolves, but it was the only part that I could remember that suited them. I actually kind of have a storyline in mind from what happened in the Disney movie with the wolves.**

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**Thorns**

**Chapter Three: Meant for Saving**

_**xXLiStLesSXx**_

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Chikaru sat on her bed, still in her Le Rim uniform, calmly awaiting a more proper invitation to dinner, though she had seen a positively gorgeous red and black dress hanging in the wardrobe. A knock came at the door, and Chikaru stood with a gentle smile, sure that her plan had worked, only to be greeted by a timid feather duster. "Chikaru-sama should really start getting ready now," she said nervously. "Master doesn't like it when things don't go according to plan."

"I don't think your Master likes it when things don't go her way," Chikaru noted with a small smile. She wasn't afraid of Shion, though she had heard from several of the…servants…that their master had a formidable temper. Chikaru was too good at reading people to be truly afraid of her. She knew Shion had a nasty disposition- so much was obvious by the scars marring her father's face. But she also knew truly evil people, and she didn't see that in Shion. Shion reminded her of a frightened puppy if she was honest, though she had no idea why the beast would act like that.

Suddenly the door slammed open, sending the nervous feather duster flying into Chikaru's waiting arms. A seething Shion stalked into the room stopping a few feet from the brunette. Chikaru noted with a small smile that Shion was dressed in a loose white men's shirt along with a pair of tight black dress pants. "Why are you still up here?" she growled at the brunette, who merely met her gaze mildly. "Dinner started half an hour ago!"

Chikaru raised an eyebrow. "I was waiting for a proper invitation," she said calmly, not phased in the slightest.

"A proper- didn't Yaya tell you about it?" Shion asked, her voice tinged with both anger and confusion. "I told her-"

"Yes, she told me about it," Chikaru interrupted, "but it's more proper to invite a lady to dinner in person."

"_Proper_?" Shion asked, her brows furrowed incredulously. "You…you…ugh!" she groaned loudly, raking a clawed hand through her long hair. "Be ready in ten minutes!"

"Not if that's how you're planning on inviting me," Chikaru shot back in the same calm tone, her lips quirking upwards as she saw Shion go rigid.

The beast lunged at her, effectively pinning the smaller girl to the bed beneath her. "You'll be ready in ten minutes, and you _will _like it," Shion growled into her ear, her hands clenching tightly around Chikaru's wrists. The brunette noted that they were shaking, almost as if Shion were trying hard to keep from seriously hurting her. "Do you understand?"

"I'm not going," Chikaru said, "until you say please." Shion growled. "And another thing- is this your number one technique for making people hear you out?" she asked, shifting her wrists slightly beneath the beast so that Shion understood what she was talking about.

Something flickered in Shion's eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it had come. "I have to," she said gruffly, pushing off of Chikaru and walking back over to the door. "They won't listen otherwise."

Chikaru frowned slightly, her head tilted as if she were trying to understand the meaning behind Shion's words. The beast seemed to notice this and decided to put a quick end to the thoughts that might end up with them both further in than they had ever wanted to be. "Please."

"Hmm?" Chikaru asked, blinking. She had been zoning out, her thoughts wandering to the blonde creature in front of her, and what could possibly have happened to make her like this.

Shion clenched her hands into fists, gritting her teeth. "I said _please_," she growled. "Please come to dinner with me."

Chikaru's thoughtful expression instantly lifted into a bright smile as she hopped off the bed, eager to don the beautiful dress. "I thought you'd never ask," she twittered as Shion slunk out of the room to wait for her down in the dining hall.

Several minutes later, Shion sat in the dining hall, slumped back in her chair with her arms folded tightly over her chest, one leg crossed over the other. Behind her, Yaya the flirtatious candle was turning on the charm for some of the many kitchen utensils. The doors burst open and Shion straightened slightly only to slump back down when the pink clock hobbled in.

"She looks beautiful, Master," Tsubomi said with a blush. Chikaru had taken a liking to the small clock and didn't hesitate to shower Tsubomi in affection whenever she was in the near vicinity. Suddenly her face turned sour. "What are you doing, Yaya-baka?" she asked, her face heating up in anger this time and, to everyone but herself and Yaya, at least, poorly concealed jealousy.

"Shh, Tsubomi-chan, you're killing my game," Yaya replied unapologetically. She was pressed against the wall, her metal arms looped over a giggling wooden spoon and a sultry metal ladle.

"Killing your- _what_?" the clock shrieked, and that was where Shion tuned them out. It totally wasn't because the most beautiful sight she'd ever seen had chosen that moment to step into the dining room or anything. She was just tired of the constant arguing.

Chikaru passed up the chair that Shion had presumed she'd take- generally two guests sat the table-length away from each other- and slid into the seat beside the beast, smiling gently. "Thank you for inviting me," she said with that same sweet smile.

Shion just sat there, her jaw dropped and her eyes barely blinking. Hadn't this girl just admitted to not liking her? What was going on? If this was just another game…

"Don't think my opinions change so quickly, Shion-chan," Chikaru chimed, as if reading Shion's mind. "I simply believe in proper etiquette."

Shion nodded slowly. "Okay," she said, then shook her head. "You look…pretty," she finished lamely, chastising herself in her head despite Chikaru's amused smile. _Pretty? She needs to fall for you, and you call her _pretty_? _"Sorry," she mumbled shortly afterward, stabbing at her dinner with a fork.

"Don't be sorry," Chikaru stated, amusement lacing her voice. "It was sweet of you to say. And you look quite handsome yourself, you know."

Shion scoffed. "Let's not overdo it, Minamoto-san," she mumbled, her appetite not what it usually was. She was eating less and less these days; her energy faded with every petal that dropped from that rose. "As you said before, I'm sure you haven't forgotten your place."

Chikaru frowned slightly, turning to the right to meet with an evasive look from Yaya and a sad smile from Tsubomi (who was currently standing in front of the candle like something of a guard dog, for some reason). Finally, she turned her gaze back to Shion, who was still prodding at her steak with blank, half-lidded eyes. "Why do you want me here?" she asked so quietly that Chikaru thought for a moment that Shion hadn't heard her. But the fork came to a complete standstill as the beast's hand tightened around it.

"Don't think it's because you're special or anything," Shion spat, still staring down at her plate. Chikaru frowned, leaning back in her seat- she hadn't been expecting such a hostile reply. "I couldn't just let him go, could I?"

"You could have," Chikaru disagreed. "You could have been decent and just let him go with a warning- without his face slashed and bloody." She kept her neutral tone, but her eyes flashed with barely concealed anger- she was tired of trying to befriend this monster who had hurt her father- who wasn't even _trying _to get along.

Her eyes flickered to Shion, who was now smiling somberly at her plate. "I knew you couldn't be as perfect as you seemed," she murmured, her voice hollow as if she were trying to sound smug, but failing. "And do I look like the kind of…_thing_…that could possibly do anything even _remotely _resembling decent?"

"Not with an attitude like that," Chikaru replied, never taking her gaze from Shion's hunched form. "I've lost my appetite," she stated after several moments of silence, standing swiftly and swallowing back the tears that threatened to consume her.

Shion's eyes flashed, and she stood as well, prepared to launch herself at the girl again, but the look in Chikaru's eyes rendered her immobile, her feet firmly planted to the ground. She'd seen that look before.

_"Please, stop…"_

_ "Not until you learn your lesson- you're a spoiled, bratty little girl, aren't you? And you can't even see it, can you? You can't even see how truly ugly you are. I wonder…what would happen if you had to see it every time you looked in the mirror?"_

_ A flash of pain, a scream, another brand on a delicate body._

Despite the painful memory, Shion couldn't reign in her pride enough to let the girl go without a fight. Slamming her hands down on the table, forcing the girl to look at her once again, she snarled, "You won't eat again unless you come back down. I'll forbid the servants from bringing you scraps."

Chikaru simply stared into her eyes with her own sad, dull amber ones before she turned her back and left. Shion growled and threw herself back into her chair, arms folded tightly over her chest. From the floor, Tsubomi watched sadly- she recognized the look in Chikaru's eyes all too well. Suddenly she felt many degrees warmer, and found a pair of metal arms around her body.

Yaya had been the only other one to witness it- the only one she'd confided in, and Tsubomi had clung to her like a child would a mother ever since that night. The memory was fading- she'd almost forgotten what it was like to be human, and she'd been so young on top of that.

But she'd heard the screams, seen the angry red welts positively covering her young master, and she would have been caught if it weren't for a pair of strong arms belonging to a tomboyish brunette, the one she'd always seen with the maid, Hikari. A firm hand had been pressed against her mouth, and together they'd faded into the shadows, watching with bated breath as a single figure exited the room.

Tsubomi knew Chikaru was stronger than Shion had been, but the way her master was attacking her wasn't physical- it was emotional, Chikaru's strength and weakness. And she was going to destroy the poor girl before she ever got close to making her fall in love with her.

Chikaru lay face-first on the enormous four-poster bed. It wasn't as if she was upset, or even shocked by Shion's behavior. It took a lot more than that to break her, she was proud to say. It was just that she'd never dealt with anyone like Shion before- stubborn to the point of self-destruction, and damaged in some way that Chikaru couldn't see.

A soft tapping came at the door, and Chikaru raised her head to face the small pink clock from earlier, a gentle smile lighting her features when she took in the nervous expression on Tsubomi's face. "Um…" the clock began nervously, "I know Master is difficult to get along with, but please don't lea- please give her a chance! I know she's stubborn and pigheaded and oblivious and_ blind_ to the most _obvious _things in the world and hurts everyone who dares to come into _contact_ with her-"

"Tsubomi-chan?"

The clock started out of her rant. "Hai?"

Chikaru cocked her head to the side, smiling gently at Tsubomi. "I thought we were talking about Shion-chan?"

"We…" Tsubomi frowned for all of five seconds before she seemed to get what Chikaru was hinting at and flushed beet red, realizing what she'd been doing. "Well…her too," she said, still red with embarrassment. Then her expression turned more solemn. "For all of us, but mainly for her. I know she seems awful, but she wasn't always. She just didn't really know how to express herself, and then one night-" The clock cut off abruptly, eyes widening as though she knew she'd said too much. "Just…please don't leave us- her, I mean."

Chikaru smiled sadly at the clock who looked close to tears and picked her up off the floor, kissing the wood that would have been her head. Tsubomi flushed again. "Things weren't always like this, were they?" she asked softly, and Tsubomi shook her head sadly. "She didn't deserve it- maybe a lesson, but not this…"

Chikaru nodded sagely, though she didn't understand anything at all. "Thank you, Tsubomi-chan- I won't be leaving any time soon." She paused for a moment. "And don't give up on Yaya-chan- she seems like the type who needs a little push in the right direction," she added with a wink, causing Tsubomi to squeak and shuffle out of the room, leaving that horribly empty feeling behind.

Sighing, Chikaru fell back onto the bed. If only Shion would give her something to go off of, something to help her…

"You can't help everyone, you know."

Chikaru blinked and turned to the door for the second time, this time facing an uncharacteristically despondent candlestick. "Yaya-chan…"

"Some things are beyond your control. Some things-" Yaya seemed to wince. "Some things can't be undone. Not everyone's meant for saving. Not everyone deserves it."

After several moments of confusion, Chikaru grasped some of the concept behind what Yaya was saying, though she doubted it had as much to do with Shion as it had to do with something that Yaya had done in the past. "Yaya-chan," she said softly, "I wish you wouldn't speak of Shion-chan like that. Nobody is beyond saving, not while there's still someone there who isn't willing to give up."

She watched Yaya's eyes for something- a spark, a flicker of recognition. But the blank look remained, save for a small flicker of masochistic humor. Whatever was eating away at the candlestick was something that she hadn't forgiven herself for. And judging by what Tsubomi had said earlier, the pink clock knew more than a little bit on the subject.

"Fine, waste your time," Yaya said, shrugging. "I was just letting you know."

Chikaru watched as Yaya disappeared out the door. The story behind the beast seemed far more complex than she'd ever imagined, and there seemed to be at least three sides already. She made a mental list in her head.

Tsubomi seemed to believe that despite Shion's character flaws at the time, she didn't deserve whatever curse had been placed upon her. The look behind the pink clock's eyes led Chikaru to believe that Tsubomi actually believed that Shion's condition had worsened by what Chikaru suspected was self-loathing.

Yaya appeared to be under the exact opposite impression- that forgiveness doesn't exist for some sins, though Chikaru wasn't quite sure if she meant Shion or herself.

And Shion- she hadn't managed to get a good reading on the blonde beast at all, and only a couple of things had stood out to her. Despite the scar on her father's face, Shion seemed to be relatively gentle, almost hesitant to step too close to what Chikaru could only assume appeared to be a fragile girl. Chikaru had also caught bits and pieces of guilt hiding behind Shion's violet eyes whenever they would flit down to Tsubomi, and a kind of mutual understanding when they'd rest on Yaya. Pack mentality was always a possibility- protect the weak or female, and fight with the strong or male. But something told Chikaru that there was much, much more to this story that was waiting to be told.

And that story began (and ended) in the West Wing.

**Again, sorry! I hope this chapter made up for my lateness!**


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